Desolaform is a game of space colonization, isolation, and discovery. It has two primary themes; the management and leadership of a space colony forty years travel away from Earth, and the horror of dealing with what is waiting for humanity in deep space. It could be anything from system wide power failures, a collapsed space elevator, or ship wide madness. I’m not telling, because that would take away from the discovery. Suffice it to say that the game is about mystery, discovery, and maybe a little bit of violence. But don’t expect a fight every session.

(The Game World and basic Plot are based on two screenplays I’ve been working on)

The Mission

The planet, “Beta Ceres,” (Commonly referred to as Ceres) was discovered by a survey drone over a hundred years ago using faster than light travel. Using the drone’s automated systems, terraforming of the planet was initiated, and after the drone determined that the terraformation had taken root, the drone made its 40 year return trip to Earth.

Due to setbacks in early attempts to colonize planets (See Kepler IV), the colonization of Ceres was not begun until a century later. A Vanguard Team has been sent two years ahead with the main mission to establish a Space Elevator and a base on the planet’s surface. The colonial ship, The ESF Koré is being prepared, and communication with Earth is expected to be reestablished 80 years after departure. (Even with FTL travel, Ceres is a 40 year trip away from the Earth System). For this reason, no one on the mission has permanent ties to the Earth and its other two colonies. Most of the crew consider this a one way trip.